Jesus
Like his final words “It is finished,” Jesus’ life was simple and definitive. He was born among the animals and a carpenter by trade. Yet he was extraordinary. By age 12 he engaged the Pharisees in matters of religious doctrine. He worked miracles as he traveled with his disciples, living a sinless life, fully God and fully man, until he entered Jerusalem to a king’s welcome, only to be beaten, crucified, and then resurrected days later. Christ’s life and works are chronicled from various perspectives in the four canonical gospels. While these perspectives, as well as the life and works of Jesus, are the focus of continued scholarship and debate, the complex theology renders down to a simple, personal offer that evangelicals have embraced: “follow me.”